Announcing Abbey Road Equalise for International Women's Day 2020

Since the early days of recorded music, the technical and engineering roles in the studio have largely been dominated by men. Despite pioneering trailblazers such as Abbey Road’s Hazel Yarwood, renowned as the doyenne of disc cutting from 1947 to 1985, the world of sound recording has proved off-putting and inaccessible to women. Indeed, today just 5% of all audio engineers are female.

However, with schools now placing greater emphasis on the STEM fields (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) and more female producers and engineers coming to prominence (from Sylvia Massy, CJ Marks and Olga Fitzroy to Emily Lazar, Dani Bennett-Spragg and Marta Salogni) the growing visibility should mean that production and engineering are viewed as a credible career path, increasingly more accessible for young women.

With this in mind, we are launching Abbey Road Equalise to help inspire and engage more young women to consider production and engineering, by providing the basic tools, knowledge and support to further their careers.

The Equalise programme begins with a free, introductory Music Production Masterclass for young women aged between 16-25, presented in conjunction with Abbey Road Institute – our music production and sound engineering school. This is the first in a series of creative and business led activations across the year, from artist sessions and workshops to panel discussions, designed to demystify and help break down the barriers.

Our first Music Production Masterclass coincides with International Women’s Day on Sunday 8 March, with the aim being to serve as a stepping stone to entering the industry and work as a better understanding of the full music creation process. If you have a passion to develop your knowledge of music production and sound engineering, this is for you.

What Will The Masterclass Cover?

From production to mixing and recording techniques, you will gain an understanding of the complete music production process. During the masterclass you will be exposed to the ‘real world’ experiences of a recording studio environment where Marta Di Nozzi, former Abbey Road Institute student and current Abbey Road runner, will guide you through her personal experiences and background that have seen her land a position at Abbey Road Studios. We will then break down the fundamentals in recording and production, which will include a demonstration of how to use a Digital Audio Workstation, and then open the room up for a Q&A where your burning production related questions can be answered.

The masterclass will take place on Sunday 8 March from 2.00pm at Abbey Road Institute and is suitable for the complete beginner.

Overview:

- Music production fundamentals- Intro to a DAW (Digital Audio Workstation)- Intro to audio- Navigating your way around the DAW- How to sequence audio on the arrangement timeline- Q&A